The Whitchurch Maze Project
The brick maze here in our beautiful village of
Whitchurch-on-Thames was designed and turned into reality by local resident,
Nick Brazil. He came up with the original idea in 2003. The first turf was cut
on Easter Saturday 2004 by Geoff Weir, Chairman of the Parish Council, and the
maze was officially opened on 27th June 2004.
The maze, which measures 21.3 metres in diameter, was
designed to blend in and enhance the lovely open meadow site. The bricks were
laid in trenches so that they were flush with the ground, making it easy to
maintain.
The project was carried out under the auspices of the
Whitchurch Society, the village amenity group. The named bricks were sponsored
by individuals and local groups. They were engraved by The Angle and Squint Co.
of Stevenage, Herts. The BT Community Champions scheme made a grant, and a local
resident made a generous donation. All the work was undertaken by volunteers
from the village. Peter Woolhouse laid all 2,650 bricks as well as working with
Nick on the detailed plans.
A restoration project was initiated by the Parish Council
and the Whitchurch Society in 2013 to replace some of the bricks that had been
damaged by frost. The community were invited to sponsor more named bricks and
approximately 160 additional names have been added in this second phase, whilst
retaining the original layout of the maze.